Monsanto Company
800 North Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63167

RE: Drop your lawsuit against Oakhurst Dairy!

Dear Monsanto executives,

I am outraged that Monsanto is suing a small, family-owned milk producer in Maine because they advertise their Farmer’s Pledge not to use artificial growth hormones (also known as rBST) on the cows that produce their milk. I am writing to demand that you immediately drop your lawsuit against Oakhurst Dairy regarding their Farmer's Pledge.

Oakhurst Dairy pays its suppliers a price premium not to use artificial growth hormones on their cows and they convey this to consumers via the "Farmer's Pledge" emblem on their products. They do so in order to respond to consumer demand for dairy products produced by cows free of rBST. The dairy makes no health claim about the Farmer's Pledge.

I understand that Monsanto has a monopoly on the commercial version of artificial bovine growth hormone, and thus it is in your interest to suppress information about milk products that do not contain rBST. Your lawsuit is a rather transparent attempt to use your limitless financial resources against a tiny family-owned dairy. Your efforts to pressure the State of Maine to drop a related requirement were appropriately rebuffed by the state.

Monsanto is disingenuously arguing that it is misleading for Oakhurst to make a factual assertion about its pledge and is demanding that Oakhurst add additional information of Monsanto's choosing to its label. Noticeably absent from your demands for additional information is the fact that both Canada and the European Union have banned rBST.

I suggest that Monsanto spend its funds trying to convince consumers of the benefits of its products rather than to suppress information that consumers clearly want. I will join millions of concerned citizens and consumers in closely monitoring your actions in this matter.